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A clinical compilation of lymph node pathologies comparing the diagnostic performance of biopsy methods

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Abstract

Purpose

It is critical to obtain sufficient tissue, both in quality and quantity, in biopsy applications for histopathological review. Our aim was to compare fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and core needle biopsy (CNB) techniques in terms of their diagnostic performance in lymph node biopsies. This was a clinical compilation, and histopathological results from biopsies were also evaluated.

Methods

A total of 242 patients and 246 lymph nodes were prospectively evaluated. All histopathologic specimens were obtained through ultrasonography-guided biopsies performed at our institute between April 2015 and October 2017. Histopathological results were grouped according to diagnostic performance, and the mean performance scores of the two methods were compared.

Results

For FNAC, the mean diagnostic score was calculated to be 1.63, whereas for CNB, the mean diagnostic score was calculated to be 1.89. The difference between diagnostic scores of the two techniques was statistically significant (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

We recommend that interventional radiologists perform vacuum-assisted biopsies if there are no financial hindrances or evidence of psychological issues in patients. We recommend this not only for lymph nodes of malignant appearance but also for those that appear benign.

Sommario

Scopo

E’ un requisito importante della biopsia linfonodale ottenere un campione sufficiente in termini di qualità e quantità per la diagnosi. Il nostro obiettivo è stato confrontare tecniche di citologia con ago sottile (FNAC) e biopsia con ago (CNB) in termini di prestazioni diagnostiche nelle patologie linfonodali.

Metodi

Sono stati valutati prospetticamente un totale di 242 pazienti e 246 linfonodi. Tutti i campioni cito-istopatologici sono stati ottenuti eseguendo una biopsia ecoguidata nella nostra istituzione dall’aprile 2015 all’ottobre 2017. I risultati cito-istopatologici sono stati confrontati in base alle prestazioni diagnostiche ottenute: in particolare sono stati confrontate le medie degli score diagnostici delle due metodiche (FNAC vs CNB).

Risultati

Per FNAC il punteggio diagnostico medio è stato di 1,63, mentre per la CNB di 1,89. La differenza tra i punteggi diagnostici delle due tecniche era statisticamente significativa (p < 0.01).

Conclusioni

Lo studio dimostra la necessità di eseguire CNB ecoguidata per la diagnosi differenziale tra linfoadenopatie maligne e benigne, fatte salve problematiche di costi o di rifiuto da parte dei pazienti.

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Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiology Clinic, Okmeydanı SUAM Hospital, Sağlık Bilimleri University, Şişli İstanbul, 34384, Istanbul, Turkey

    Deniz Özel

  2. Pathology Clinic, Okmeydanı Hospital, Sağlık Bilimleri University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Tamer Aydın

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  1. Deniz Özel
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  2. Tamer Aydın
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Correspondence to Deniz Özel.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by our Institute’s Research Ethics Committee. Date: 06.02.2018 No: 825.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Özel, D., Aydın, T. A clinical compilation of lymph node pathologies comparing the diagnostic performance of biopsy methods. J Ultrasound 22, 59–64 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-018-0321-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-018-0321-6

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